Long Drive Home
by stephbro
Summary: Kerri remembers her relationship with Daniel as she drives home from his place for the last time.
1. Glance Back As I Turn The Key

Taking a small break from my other story, Prophecy, to bring you this little peice of fan fiction.

This story will not have much to do with the actual Stargate, or going off-world at all. I wanted to write a story from the point of view of an outsider, trying to be a part of Daniel's life, when she knows nothing of the Stargate and how someone might deal with secrets being kept from them.

I'm not really sure when this takes place. Daniel is in an apartment, but if I remember correctly, during season 7 he had his own place, but I forgot about that when I was writing this, but I liked the way it turned out, so please look over that little fact :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction, now would I. No money was exchanged. I also don't own Batman :-D (no, this isn't a crossover ha)

**Prolouge**

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She turned around when she got to the elevator to see him watching her. His gaze immediately went to the floor, and he took a step back before he closed the door.

She felt the huge knot in her stomach grow as the elevator door opened. She forced herself into the awaiting lift and pressed the button for the lobby.

She leaned against the back wall, arms wrapped protectively around her waist, willing the tears not to fall.

The doors opened, having reached their destination and she stepped out. She attempted a smile to the doorman, Larry, before pushing the door open to the outside world.

She walked to her car and managed to get the keys in the door. She took one last look up at the window she knew was his, only to see the curtian fall back into place. It broke her heart as she climbed into her car.

_'Why am I acking like this?'_ she thought to herself. _'I'm the one who broke up with him.'_ she shook her head. It had been the right thing to do. _'Then why do I hurt so bad?'_

She stuck the keys in the ignition and pulled out into the street as escaped tears fell down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away, but more came, unbidden.

She'd taken the final step in ending the relationship. No matter how hard she tried, she could no longer put up with all the secrets and unexplained injuries he suffered while he was at work.

She hated that he was sometimes gone for days, and one time even weeks, at a time without any explaination.

At first, it hadn't been so difficult. It was even fun at times. She nicknamed him Batman and came up with the most crazy of stories about his absence and how he saved Gotham City from the likes of the Riddler or the Penguin and he would laugh, kiss her, tell her he loved her.

But it soon got less fun.

Soon he was coming home with more than just small cuts and bruises, and he never gave her a straight answer as to how he recieved such injuries working for the Air Force doing who knows what under that Mountain.

That was another thing that always confused her. It had never made sense to her why the Air Force would need an archeologist or a linguist such as him. He had told her it was to help break codes that were in other languages, which made a little sense, but still didn't explain the various afflictions he had aquired.

She had taken all she could. Though she had fallen in love with the man, love wasn't enough. Not when there was no trust. He clearly didn't trust her enough to tell her what he really did in the belly of Cheyanne Mountian. Breaking it off with him was the hardest thing she had ever had to do.

The love she had for him, even though they'd only been dating for six months, ran deep, but it couldn't overcome the hurt she felt everytime she was on the recieving end of one of his ridiculous cover-ups. She couldn't,_ wouldn't_, let herself live like that.

She pulled up to a stop sign and glanced in the rearview mirror. The vision of his front door blurred with tears. She blinked them out before turning off his road.

_'Gotta move on, Kerri.'_ she told herself. _'Gotta leave Daniel in the past.'  
_

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More to Come!

What do you think? Please review! I'd like to know.


	2. Down These Empty Dim Moonlit Backroads

I forgot to mention something in the prologue. The title of this story, as well as where I got the idea for this story, came from a song of the same name by a group called "The Bamboozlers" who are no longer around. The titles of the chapters also came from the lyrics of this song. The song is amazing and beautiful, and if you'd like to check it out, let me know and I can point the way. It's worth it :) By the way, I do not own any of the lyrics.

That being said, on with the show. Sorry this chapter is so short, but they'll get longer. :)

Chapter One

**Down These Empty Dim Moonlit Backroads**

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Kerri had gone a whole two seconds without thinking about Daniel when she came upon the coffee shop near his house that they first met at. Tears blurred her vision so bad she had to pull off to the side of the road as the memory hit her.

_/Flashback/_

For once, Kerri wasn't running late, so she took the opportunity to go out for coffee before she headed into work.

She parked and walked into the coffee shop. It was a small, non-chainlike, place and Kerri felt very comfortable in it. She looked up at the selection. They had things like Almond Amaretto, Bavarian Chocolate Cherry, and Black Forest. She smiled, always up for something a little different. She ordered a Chocolate Irish Cream coffee and sat down to wait for it.

She opened up the entertainment section of the newspaper that was sitting on the table and started skimming it. The bell above the door gave a ring and she looked up.

It took all she had not to stare. The bespeckled, good-looking man had her attention. She watched as he ordered and turned around, looking for a place to sit. Apparently the coffee shop was extreamely popular and there wasn't another open table.

"Would you mind?" she shook herself when she realized he was talking to her, gesturing to the empty seat at her table. She smiled and shook her head.

"Of course not." he smiled and she was completely taken in. His bright blue eyes were enhanced by the man's smile.

"I'm Kerri." she intruduced on impulse, holding her hand out.

"Daniel." he nodded back. She gave him her best smile, which he returned. Kerri's coffee was ready so she retrieved it and sat back down. Not long after, Daniel's coffee was done and he did the same.

"Just black, huh?" Kerri asked, attempting to start up a conversation.

"What? Oh, yeah." Daniel said, smiling. Did this man ever stop smiling? Kerri certianly didn't mind. "Sort of a rough night at work."

"Where do you work?"

"Um, I'm a civilian consultant for the Air Force." he told her. Kerri's eyebrows shot up.

"Really? What do you consult about?"

"Languages, mostly. I'm a linguist." he explained.

"That's awesome. I tried to learn Spanish back in high school, but all the dialects and nuances never really seemed to latch onto my brain to easily. So I stick to what I do best." Daniel shifted in his seat to look at Kerri better.

"And what's that?"

"History. I'm a teacher over at the grade school."

"Yeah? What grade?"

"Third. Though my parents are disappointed I don't work for the University." she told him. "I just prefer to teach the little kids."

"I'm somewhat of a history buff myself. I'm also an archeologist." If he didn't have her attention already, Kerri was definitely interested now.

"Archeology? Like digs and stuff? I've always wanted to do that."

"Really?"

"Yeah, when I was a kid, I'd bury stuff in the sandbox, leave it for a few days and go back to dig it up." Kerri told him and he laughed. A sound she enjoyed immensly.

"So, what made you go into teaching then?" he asked.

"I could tell you the exact moment I decided to be a teacher." she paused, and decided to continue, since he seemed genuinely interested. "I was in college, majoring in archeology, actually. Anyway, I was helping out some junior highschoolers with some of their school work, and there was this one kid, Jeff, who was having difficulties with a lot of his work and he'd get frusterated easily. But I worked with him and at the end of the year he managed to get great grades. Even an 'A' in history. He came up to me, thanked me, and gave me this huge hug. I changed my major the next semester."

Kerri didn't know why she was opening up to him so easily but he made her feel comfortable. He smiled warmly at her story and Kerri's insides melted. _'What is going on, I'm a grown woman for crying out loud. I'm acting like a schoolgirl with a crush!'_ she mentally berrated herself. She watched as he glanced down at his watch and started.

"I gotta get going! I'm already late. Sorry to leave so quickly." he got up to leave.

"Wait." Kerri said and searched in her purse and pulled out a pen and a slip of paper. Quickly she wrote her name and number on it and handed it to Daniel with a smile. "I'd like it if you'd call me sometime." she said. He looked at the number and smiled at her.

"I might just do that. It was nice meeting you."

_/End Flashback/_

He didn't call her until two weeks after that initial meeting. Their first date was a few days after that. They clicked as though they'd known each other for years. It hurt her to remember the times before it became to much. Kerri wiped her tears as the memory consumed her. She shook herself, letting out a cry of frustration and put her car in drive.

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Sooo, what do ya think:-D Reviews are like candy! 


	3. Rid My Mind of All These Ghosts

Thank you, everyone, for your reviews! I'm so glad your enjoying this :-)

Chapter Two

**Rid My Mind of All These Ghosts**

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She suddenly became aware of her surroundings and found she was in a less populated area of the city. She decided she needed a break from driving and pulled off to the side of the road. She got out of the car and climbed on the hood, leaning against the windshield, looking up at the beautiful night sky, filled with stars.

_/Flashback/_

She winked at the doorman, Larry, as he let her in Daniel's apartment. Daniel and she have been dating for a little over a month and Larry definitely knew Kerri by now. This time he was in on a small plan. Normally, people weren't allowed into the apartment complex with out the knowledge of its inhabitants. Tonight Larry just smiled at her.

Daniel had told Kerri that he'd be on a vacation for a few days after a week of being gone and she wanted to take full advantage of that. She left him be all day to rest, but now it was 11 o'clock at night.

She smiled as the elevator doors opened to Daniel's floor. She made her way to his door and knocked. After a second she knocked again, this time much louder.

Her smile grew to a grin when she heard rustling around inside.

The door opened as much as the chain lock would allow, a pair of bespeckled eyes peering through.

"Kerri?" he said, reclosed the door, unlatched the chain and opened it again, revealing a very rumpled, very confused archeologist. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to whisk you away. So, get your shoes on and let's go." he looked at her as though he was going to protest. She held a finger to his lips. "Ah-ah. Shoes. Let's go." she stopped him.

"Let me change quick, then." he said, gesturing to his pajama clad body.

"Nope, just shoes. Hurry up." she said, feigning irritation. He glared at her, a small smirk playing on his lips as he slipped his shoes on his feet. As soon as he stood back up she took his face in her hands and took him into a deep, passionate kiss. When it ended, she felt him smile against her lips.

"I've missed you." she told him.

"Missed you too." she kissed him again, but pulled away quickly.

"Let's go." she grinned, grabbing his hand and pulled him to the elevator, stopping only to grab his keys and lock the door.

They made their way past Larry, who held to door for them, and got into Kerri's car. Once inside, Kerri handed him a blindfold.

"What's this?"

"Put it on."

"Why..." she held a finger to his lips for the second time.

"Trust me." she said with a coy smile. He looked at her, as though trying to work out exactly what she was planning, but slowly put on the blindfold. She grinned as the parts of her plan fell into place and started up her car. They drove in silence for awhile, holding hands.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Daniel. If I was going to answer that, would you be wearing that blindfold?" she glanced over to him to see the smile on his unshaven face.

"What am I going to do with you, Kerridwyn Michaels?"

"Love me?"

"Always." he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I love you too." she told him.

Soon they got to their destination and Kerri parked the car. She instructed Daniel to stay where he was and went around the car to open the door for him. She took his hand and led him up a small hill and through a door in a fence that surrounded a golf course. This was her most favorite place in the world.

They walked in silence until they reached the 8th hole green, where she had laid a blanket and a basket before picking Daniel up. She glanced up to see clear skies and thousands upon thousands of stars. She smiled.

This would be perfect.

She leaned up, kissing Daniel again, her hand going to the blindfold, her other arm wrapped around his waist. She felt him do the same. She ended the kiss and stood to his side, making sure he'd have the perfect view before removing the blindfold.

She watched Daniel, pleased when she got the desired result of amazement in Daniel's face. Even after coming up here so often in the past few years since she's discovered it, the amazing view still awed her.

The golf course was located on a hill that overlooked the city. With the clear sky above it, the view was nothing short of spectacular.

"This is...amazing." Daniel said, breathlessly.

"I found it a couple years back. It's my most favorite place in the whole city." she told him. They sat on the blanket, wrapped in each others arms.

"So, are we trespassing on this golf course?" Daniel asked after a bit.

"Actually, no. The guy who owns the place caught me up here awhile back and now I have his permission." Kerri told him.

"Guess it helps to have friends in high places." he said, giving her a wink. She gave him a kiss. They leaned back and looked up towards the sky.

Completely content, Kerri looked over to Daniel, who seemed a million miles away, as he watched the stars.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked quietly, running her hand over his chest. He smiled at her.

"I haven't just simply watched the stars in a long time. I forgot how beautiful they were." Kerri laid back down to take in the vast blue-black sky speckled with tiny lights.

"They really are, aren't they?" she said. She looked up at him and smiled. "I know who you are, Dr. Jackson." she said knowingly. He bent his head up to look at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The secrets, the injuries, working for the military." she paused, and looked at Daniel. To her amusement she could tell that while he was trying to fake casualness, inside he was panicked. She knew very well that most of the work Daniel did was classified. "I figured it out. It wasn't that hard if you really think about it. Getting called away suddenly, being gone for long periods of time. It would take an idiot to not figure it out." she enjoyed playing with him. His eyebrows went up, taking almost permanent residence on his forehead. "You're Batman. And Cheyanne Mountian is just a coverup for the Batcave." she laughed as he visibly relaxed. "No worries, your secret is safe with me." she gave him a wink and laid back.

"You're too smart for your own good, Kerri." he smiled, kissing her head. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"So. What's in the basket?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Just some fruit and some wine" she said impishly. She'd almost forgotten about the basket. She sat up and opened it, pulling out two wine glasses and a bottle. She handed the glasses to Daniel and opened the wine. Daniel held out the glasses as she poured the deep red liquid into each one.

She proped the bottle against the basket and took one of the glasses.

"To us." he toasted. She smiled and clicked her glass with his before taking a drink.

_/flashback/_

They had made love for the first time that night. Kerri smiled at the memory.

She shivered in the cold night air and decided to be on her way. She climbed off her car and got in it. She took a deep breath and started on her way home.

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So, what do you think? I wanna know:-D 


	4. Glanced Down at My Speed

I'm sorry for taking so long to update! I went on vacation and just got back in the groove of writing.

Please, review! I'd like to know if people are still reading this. I appreciate anything you have to say. (although flaming wastes my time and yours...) Review!

Chapter Three

**Glanced Down At My Speed**

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Her detour to the country had taken her farther away from her place than she had meant to go. Of course, she hadn't been paying that close of attention before either.

Suddenly the flash of red and blue lights were in her rearview mirror. She looked down at her speed.

"Holy shit!" she realized she was going just under 90. She pulled to the side of the road and leaned her head back and groaned. This day just keeps getting better and better.

She grabbed her purse to get her lisence ready for the officer. A picture fell out of her wallet onto her lap.

She picked it up. It was of her and Daniel, taken over at Jack O'Neill's place the first time Kerri met Daniel's friends.

_/Flashback/_

She opened the door to the place revealing Daniel on her front step. She smiled.

"Hey there, sexy." she said, giving him a kiss.

"Hey. Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yup, lemme grab my purse." she grabbed it and shut the door behind her.

"I love that color on you." he said. She looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a green summer dress. It complemented her waist length red hair nicely.

"Why, thank you." she went to take his hand, only to find it in a brace. "What happened to your wrist?" she asked, concerned. He lifted it to look at it, stretching out his fingers.

"Oh, it's just a sprain. Jack, uh, thought it'd be funny to, uh, stick his foot out in front of me and I tripped." he told her. Her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"That was almost convincing, Batman." she gave him a knowing look as they got in his car.

"It's what happened." he said. She laughed. "So, you nervous about meeting my friends?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Not really. Should I be?" she asked. He smiled.

"No. Though Jack can be pretty intense."

"I've heard." she smiled at him. He drove to Jack's, holding his hand the whole way. That was a habit they had developed quickly. There wasn't a time they were both in the car when they weren't holding hands. Kerri enjoyed this habit immensly.

Daniel pulled into a driveway and they got out. Kerri grabbed his hand as they approached and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Back here, Danny-boy!" they heard someone call from around the back. Daniel led Kerri around to the backyard. "Hey there, spacemonkey. Nice of you to join us." the man behind the grill said.

"Sorry we're late, Jack." Daniel apologized. Jack set down his tongs and wiped his hands on a towel, then held one out for Kerri to shake. "Kerri, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill. Jack, this is Kerri Michaels."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Kerri. We've heard a lot about you." Jack said, giving a wink to Daniel, who promptly blushed. Kerri playfully hit his chest.

"What have you been telling them?" she teased.

"Nothing but good, Ms Michaels, nothing but good." Jack 'reassured' her.

"Where's Sam and Murray?" Daniel asked, obviously eagerto change the subject. Kerri laughed to herself. She'd have to ask him about his one later.

"They're inside, should be out any minute." Jack told them, returning to his grill. As if on que, two people exited the Colonel's back patio door.

"Daniel, you made it!" the woman said. Kerri was immediately jealous. The woman was gorgeous. Her blonde 'every-hair-in-place' hair and bright blue eyes were in stark contrast to Kerri's unruly curly red locks and brown eyes.

"Hey Sam. Murray. I'd like you to meet Kerri Michaels. Kerri, this is Major Samantha Carter and...Murray." Daniel introduced. Kerri thought it was odd that while Jack and Samantha's introduction included both a last name and a rank, Murray's had been accompanied by neither. She shook both of their outstretched hands.

Daniel put an arm around her waist and it reassured Kerri that her jealousy of Sam was unfounded. She gave him a smile.

"So, Daniel tells us you're a teacher?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I teach third grade."

"How do you like that?" Sam asked politely.

"I love it. Teaching kids is so..." Kerri couldn't come up with the right word so Daniel supplied her with one.

"Fulfilling?"

"Yes. That's it. It's something about watching little kids finally understand something you've been teaching. It's so gratifying." she said passionatly. Daniel kissed the top of her head and she squeezed his waist. "So. I know better than to ask what you all do for a living. Classified and all that." she said, winking at Daniel. She loved that he was so okay with being affectionate in front of his friends. Jack just smiled.

"Can I get you a beer?" he offered.

They made small talk and ate.

Jack had a sarcastic wit that Kerri enjoyed. The way he and Daniel played off each other was amusing. Sam and Murray seemed to think so as well, though they were probably used to the bantar. Murray was mostly quiet, and Kerri got the impression that there was more going on in his head than he ever said. Kerri also felt the jealousy she initially felt towards Sam fade. The relationship between Daniel and Sam seemed more brother/sister than anything else.

In fact, the more Kerri thought about it, the more it felt that she was meeting Daniel's family rather than his friends. Kerri knew Daniel didn't have much for blood relatives and it seemed that this mixmatch group of people had created their own pseudofamily. Kerri decided she liked them.

After awhile she and Daniel ended up sitting on a swing in Jack's yard, a little bit away from the rest of the group. Kerri leaned into Daniel and he wrapped his arm around her.

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

"I think they're great. You guys seem really close."

"We are. We've been working together for quite a number of years."

"That's awesome. It must be great working with people you're so close to." she told him. He kissed the top of her head.

"Hey, guys! Smile!" they heard Sam call and they looked towards her, happy grins covering both their faces and she snapped the picture.

_/End Flashback/_

Kerri glanced at the picture before pulling out back onto the street, a $150 speeding fine sitting in her passenger seat.

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	5. I Wonder Where I Went Wrong

Hey, look at that! A quick update! Quicker than previous ones, at least.

I realize that this chapter is kinda short. But I didn't know what else to write in it, but I needed to have this chapter. The next update shouldn't be too far into the future. :) I should also mention that Daniel's injuries in this chapter aren't exactly canon.

Please enjoy and review!

Chapter Four

**I Wonder Where I Went Wrong**

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'Finally' Kerri thought as she started entering her neighborhood. As she drove through the familiar streets she though back over the fight that occured earlier that night.

It certianly didn't come out of no where. Kerri remember when the whole thing started.

_/Flashback/_

"Oh my god, Daniel, what happened to you!" Kerri worriedly rushed him into her house after taking one look at his injuries. His face was bruised and his arm was in a sling. He also walked with a slight limp.

"Fell do..."

"Down the stairs." Kerri finished for him, an irritated smile crossed her face and she nodded. He gave her an aplogetic look. "What exactly do you do in that mountain to get injured all the time. Because, seriously, you're either the klumsiest person I ever met or you're not being completely truthful. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's the latter."

"Kerri, I told you, It's..."

"Classified. I know." she turned and started to walk away from him, but he gently touched her arm and she stopped, but still didn't face him.

"Kerri, I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't."

"I know that. It just gets so hard sometimes, Danny. I see you come in here all injured and bruised with a lame ass cover story. Sorry." she paused. "It scares me." she faced him and looked into his apologetic eyes. He wrapped his good arm around her and took her into a hug.

"I don't mean to scare you. I never want to hurt you. I'm sorry." he kissed the top of her head and rested his chin there. "I feel like all I ever do anymore is apologize to you." he said thoughtfully. Kerri closed her eyes and leaned in closer to Daniel. "I wish I didn't have too."

"Stop doing things that require an apology." Kerri said after a pause. She felt him nod, and he pused her away to look her in the eye.

"I promise I will do my best to never have to apologize to you again." he said, sincerely. Kerri offered him a small smile. "I love you, Kerri. I need you in my life."

"I need you too, Danny. I love you." Kerri leaned up to kiss him.

_/End Flashback/_

That was only a month ago. Strange how things can unravel so fast.

She only left Daniel two hours ago and already her heart was aching to be held in his strong arms again, to hear his voice reassure her.

Wow, has it been two hours already. Normally this was only a fifteen minute drive, but now it felt as though she was miles away from Daniel.

This was the longest drive ever.

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Again, sorry for the shortness. The next one should be much longer, but I felt that this chapter was necessary :) 


	6. What I Want Now Is To Be Alone

Told you I wouldn't take too long to get this up! I just hope people are still reading this (hint hint cough cough reviews please:-D) I should mention that while the injuries in other chapters weren't canon this one is. I've decided to make this story take place during season 7, and this chapter takes place after the Evolution episodes.

Lemme know what you think!

Chapter Five

**What I Want Now Is To Be Alone**

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Kerri almost cried when she finally saw her house come into view. She pulled into her driveway and rested back into her seat.

Suddenly the tears started coming again. She couldn't stop them.

She didn't want to.

She didn't think she deserved to.

Though she knew she had to do what she did, she felt like her heard had been ripped in two. It was especially bad because she knew she had hurt Daniel.

That hurt more than anything.

_/Flashback/_

Kerri knocked eagerly on Daniel's door, bouncing on her toes. She hadn't seen him in a couple of days, and it was their six month anniversary.

She grinned as the door opened. The grin faded when she saw the crutches Daniel was leaning on for support and the look of apology that covered his face.

"What happened?" she asked genuinely, though the question was laced with a bit of irritation.

"I got shot." he said simply.

"Oh my god, how?" she asked, any trace of irritation gone, and worry taking it's place. She entered his apartment and followed him to the living room.

"Can't really tell you." he said, his face contorting into a wince. Oh, there it was again, evil irritation monster. Kerri took a deep breath and gritted her teeth to stop herself from saying anything.

"Kerri..." he placed his hand on her shoulder. She brushed it away.

"No, Daniel. I don't know if I can do this anymore."

"What?"

"I'm sorry." she shook her head. "I can't. All the lies and your injuries, Daniel. I know you're doing more than just consulting on languages in that mountain." he started to protest, but Kerri stopped him. "And I know you can't tell me about it either. And I thought I could be okay with that. And I was. For awhile. But I can't do it anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I think we shouldn't see each other anymore. I'm saying that I'm sick of being lied to. I'm saying I don't want to have to worry about you anymore, wondering if one of these times you're going to go into that mountian and never come out and I'll never know the real reason why." she vented, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

"Kerri, please..."

"Daniel." she brought her finger to his mouth and shook her head.

"So this is it then?" he asked, his voice tight.

"I don't know, Danny. but I can't do this to myself."

"I'm in love with you, Kerri."

"I love you too, but I don't know if that's enough anymore."

"Of course it is." he said. Kerri shook her head.

"It's not like this is all of the sudden, Danny. This has been eating at me...at us...for awhile now. You promised me you'd never have the need to apologize to me again and I was a fool to believe it."

"Kerri, what can I do. Please. I'll do anything, just don't leave." he pleaded.

"The only thing you could do I would never forgive myself for asking you to do."

"What?"

"Quit your job."

"Then I'll quit. I can't loose you."

"And I can't let you quit because you love your job. And one day you'd resent me because of it. Danny, you need someone you don't have to hide from." Kerri paused. "Someone like Sam."

"Sam? What? I would never date Sam." he said.

"Then someone else you work with. You should have someone you can share your complete life with."

"I want to share it with you."

"Okay, then tell me what you do at Cheyanne Mountain." she said soberly. He looked to the floor. "See. You can't. And I can't live like this anymore. It scares me to think one day I'll get a letter from General Hammond telling me how proud he is of you, or that you gave your live in the service of the country, but I'll never really know why. Do you have any idea what that's like? I'm not cut out to be the girlfriend of batman." she told him as tears fell down both her and Daniel's cheeks.

"I'm not going to die."

"Can you know that?" she asked. He didn't answer.

"Please, Kerri. I will never leave you. Not like that." he rested a hand gently on her arm. She was almost taken in. She almost wrapped her arms around him, believing him, if only for a little while.

But she didn't.

She shook her head, sniffled, and wiped away the tears.

"No Daniel, not anymore. It's not fair to either of us. I need someone who doesn't have to hide his life. You need someone you can share your life with." He caught her eye for a second she looked down, biting her lip. "I...I got an offer today. A, uh, job offer." she looked back at him. He didn't say anything so she continued. "It's for a position at a college to teach Celtic history, among a few other things." she paused again. Daniel still didn't say anything. He just kept looking at her somberly. "I think I'm going to take the position."

"Where?" he finally spoke up, his voice sounded raspy.

"New York." a look of surprise covered his face.

"But you love your job now. You love working with kids."

"Yeah. I do. But they gave me an offer I can't refuse. Twice the pay and an apartment near the school." she paused for a second. "And there's nothing left for me here." she said the last part so quietly she wasn't sure he heard her. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Daniel spoke up.

"Did I screw this up so bad you have to move across the country to get away from me?" he asked, quietly.

"Daniel, it's not you..."

"Please. Spare me the 'it's not you, it's me' speech." Kerri winced at the bite in his voice.

"I'm sorry." she tried to catch his eye, but he wouldn't look at her. "I gotta go." she stood.

"I'll walk you to the door." he said, still not looking at her as he stood and leaned on his crutches for support. The walked in silence to the door.

"I'll always love you, Danny." she leaned in to give him a goodbye kiss, but he turned away. She took a deep breath to fight back the tears. "Goodbye." she whispered and opened the door.

_/End Flashback/_

By now, the tears were pouring out of her at an uncontrollable rate. Going over the fight again in her head put her over the edge.

She let out a few loud sobs and cried for another ten minutes, unable to leave her car.

As soon as she calmed down enough she dried her tear soaked face on her sleeve, took a few cleansing breaths and stepped out of the car.

Her nose was stuffy and her throat hurt from crying. She couldn't wait to crawl into bed and be alone.

She got to the steps of her porch and stopped.

A figure was sitting on her porch swing. As she got closer, he stood. Kerri swallowed hard.

"Daniel?"

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Soooooooo :-D Whatcha think? 


	7. I Know How to Love Because Of You

This is it! The last chapter! I was thinking about doing this story, but in Daniel's POV, but I don't know if anyone would be interested in reading it. If you are let me know. Same thing for a sequel, cause I was debating about that as well.

Chapter Six

Epilouge

**I Know How to Love Because of You**

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"What are you doing here?" Kerri asked, still in shock at seeing Daniel on her front porch.

"I need to talk to you." he took a step forward.

"There's nothing else to talk about." Kerri willed more tears not to fall.

"I think there is."

"Daniel. It's late. I'm exhausted. Can we please do this tomorrow?" Kerri definitely felt she didn't have the strength to fight with him agian.

"No. I have to talk to you, and I didn't get to say much earlier." Kerri didn't reply, but she knew the look on her face told him she'd given in. "Can we go inside?"

Kerri nodded and unlocked the door, leaving Daniel inside. He followed her on his crutches to the living room and they sat down. They sat silently at first, each one staring at a different random object in the room. Kerri's gaze was fixated on the coaster that was sitting on the end table.

"How long have we been dating?" Daniel finally asked.

"It would have been six months today." Kerri answered quietly.

"Six months? Wow. I never thought I would have fallen so deep in love in six months." Daniel said thoughtfully. Kerri looked up at Daniel, looking him in the eye for the first time since they got there. The look didn't last long and she was staring at the coaster again. She picked it up and started fiddling with it. Daniel gently took it from her and she smiled a little. He hated it when she was fidgity, Because fidgity meant she was nervous. Kerri let her hands lie still on her knees, still not looking up at Daniel.

"What took you so long to get home?" he asked curiously, conversationaly.

"Made a few stops along the way" was all answer she gave him. A few more silent minutes went by and Kerri was getting more uncomfortable as the time passed.

"Kerri, I can't just let you walk out of my life like this."

"Dani..."

"Please let me finish." he cut her off softly. "I'm in love with you. Before I met you, Jack would have to drag me off base just to get some fresh air, because I was so deep in my work. But now, I can't wait to come home and see you. I still love my job, but now I actually have something to live for. You. I love you, Kerri. Please don't leave me." he told her, emotion filling every word.

"Daniel, I can't..." Kerri shook her head, tears threatening to fall again.

"I know. It doesn't seem fair. I get all this out of the relationship and you...you just get me."

"You know what's not it, Daniel. I love you, it's just..."

"I know. That's why I told General Hammond that I quit." Kerri looked at him in shock.

"Daniel!" she cried angerly. "Why would you do that?"

"Relax, Kerri. He didn't let me quit." Kerri's anger faded into confusion, causing Daniel to smile.

"I told him I couldn't go on lying to you, and I wouldn't, so after I told him I quit, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse." he paused. She looked at him expectantly. "If I could tell you everything. And I mean everything about what I do, would you reconsider going to New York and maybe stay here with me?"

"What do you mean, everything?"

"All of it. The real story behind all the injuries, the real story about what I do at Cheyanne Mountain. Everything." Kerri thought before answering. "But I have to warn you. It's big. There's a reason it's all top secret. You wouldn't be able to tell anyone. _Any_one. It's a lot to think about. Once I tell you, you can never go back to bing blissfully ignorant about it." Daniel looked her in the eye.

She paused. It _was_ a lot to think about. She wanted to know, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious. But what would it mean? This sounded like it was really big. Change her world big. Was she ready for that? She took a deep breath, looked the love of her life in his beautiful blue eyes.

"Tell me."

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**The End!**

Let me know what you think. All reviews will be well fed and cared for :-D

Thanks to all of those who read my story and reviewed it! I appreciate it more than you could ever know! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!


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